A Grand Canyon Indeed

Michael and I had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Canyon last week! Michael attended a work conference in Phoenix last Monday through Wednesday, then I flew to Phoenix on Wednesday, we rented a car, drove to the Grand Canyon, and stayed for 3 nights in Tusayan, AZ, which is at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Some of the highlights of our trip were:

• On our drive to the Grand Canyon, we drove through a moderate snowstorm. It was beautiful (as opposed to scary), and we were glad we had packed heavy coats! (We almost didn't pack any coats because we naively thought, Grand Canyon, that's desert right? Us silly Texans...)
• Speaking of weather at the Grand Canyon, it was perfectly clear all four days. It was low 20s at night and low 50s in the afternoons.
  
• Arriving the first day around sunset - a great first introduction to seeing the Grand Canyon in all its beauty! We enjoyed dinner that first night as well.
• Our first full day at the Grand Canyon, we stopped at every viewpoint along Desert View Drive - a 25 mile stretch along the east side of the canyon. The first stop was at the lookout tower, which looks like it was built in the 1800s.
  
• We had a funny encounter with a squirrel at one of the viewpoints. The park has signs all over that you're not supposed to approach or feed the wildlife, so when we saw this squirrel following us around and then standing up on its hind legs like a dog that's begging for food, we stayed strong and just took pictures of it (denying my impulses to pick it up and play with it). Then Michael was standing next to a tall bush, and he was wearing his backpack. The squirrel apparently was very fascinated with his backpack (or thought he had food in it), because the squirrel was by my side at one moment, and then I look over at Michael and the squirrel is up on a branch in the bush and sticking its head and arm out to Michael's backpack like a little ninja sniper! I couldn't get a picture in time, but it was really cute to watch!
• Dinner the second night was awesome! We ate at El Tovar - pretty ritzy, and they have a dedicated pastry chef who made some delicious desserts. We had two desserts. That night...and two more the next night, he he...(don't worry, we're still actively doing P90-X!) If you ever visit El Tovar, we recommend the Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Walnut Crust.
• Our next full day began early - we woke up to watch the sun rise at the Grand Canyon. We went to a viewpoint called Yavapai. It was a beautiful sunrise, but it was really crowded at the viewpoint. Lots of professional photographers with all of their equipment were present, plus amateurs like us. Lots of bodies in a small lookout space. But we got some beautiful pictures!
  
• The rest of the day was spent exploring the west side, called Hermit Trail. You can only see the west side by shuttle bus or hiking, so we took a shuttle to the first viewpoint, then hiked about 2 miles to several more viewpoints. This was my favorite part of the vacation - feeling like it was just the two of us exploring the wilderness with breathtaking views. We even saw a wild elk family along the trail! We rode the shuttle the rest of the way, and enjoyed more beautiful views.
• Side note about hiking: We quickly discovered that virtually any level of exertion at the Grand Canyon made us feel winded and fatigued, which is due to the altitude (7000 feet) and the smaller amount of oxygen reaching our lungs. We took it slow and drank lots of water, but it was really strange to feel so tired when simply walking.
  
• Our favorite viewpoint of the whole Grand Canyon South Rim was named Powell after the famous explorer. In fact, we decided this was the best spot for the next morning's sunrise, despite what the brochure tells you (it says Hopi Point is the best view for sunrise).
• Our last night at dinner was enjoyable as well. We ate at the Arizona Room (same as first night's dinner), and then ordered dessert to go from El Tovar. Definitely no shying away from food on this vacation! (In fact, thanks to having a fridge in our hotel room, we had enough leftovers to serve as our lunch at the airport the next day. It was just a little awkward asking Starbucks if they had a microwave we could use to heat the leftovers, which in case you're ever in a similar situation, they said they don't have a microwave. Cold leftovers aren't that bad!)
  
• Our last day began early again as we rode the shuttle to Powell Point for sunrise. At first we were the only ones there, because everyone else stayed on the bus to go to Hopi Point, but then some professional photographers hiked back to Powell where we were and said they realized this was the best location (kind of a compliment to us I guess!) We enjoyed more beautiful views and captured some great pictures. The way the canyon ridges light up with the golden light of sunrise is so incredible to see in person. *Sigh of contentment*
• After we enjoyed sunrise, we ate our last breakfast at the hotel and then drove back to Phoenix. We arrived home around 9:30pm to some very disgruntled puppies who had parents with the nerve to leave them behind for a couple days. Luckily, they forgave us as evidenced by lots of kisses and following us around for the next several days. There's no place like home!
  

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...Pictures!
There are 810 pictures in this album, you have been warned, but I hope you enjoy the breathtaking sights!
To view the album directly, click here.